Thread-controlling device for sewing-machines.



'R. G. WOODWARD. THREAD CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION II LED JULY 23, 1902. 908,434. 1

Patented Dec. 29, 1 908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

grweufoz Gamm Witness wihmooeo v v R. G. WOODWARD. THREAD CONTROLLINGDEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

. APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1902 908,434.

Patented Dec. .29, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

& Mm

glwaul'oz R. G. WOODWARD.

THREAD GONTRO LLING DEVICE FOR SEWING MAGHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 23, 1902.

Patented Dec. 29

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STA ns rarest? onnrcn.

RUSSEL WOODWARD, OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOH TU lfh'IOli SITTCIALSEWING MACHINE COMPANY,

OF CHICAGO, lLLINOIS, A UORPORAJION O1 ILLINOIS.

TEREAD-GONTRQLLING DEVICE Fflli SEWZNG-EACIHNES.

s ecifications!" Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

Application filed July 23, 1902. Serial No. 116,825.

'devices for controlling the thread upon a machine of the type known asthe Union Special side wheel cylinder twin needle machine, for seamcovering, which is illustrated in the patent granted L. Muther, E.Holland and myself, on the 12th day of May, 1897,-No. 583,414. These mahines are used quite extensively upon knit goods for covering seamspreviously made by superposing the edges of two pieces of fabric andjoining them by a line of straight-awav stitches, the fabrics being thenspread out flat, and run through-a sewing machinewhich embodies twoneedles and an under thread-carrying loo er, the feed being arrangedlongitudinalli' of the bed plate, so that the scam made is covered,leaving practically no objectionable ridge, and prcsenting a highlyfinished and ornaiiiontal appearance Difiicultyhas bcencxpcrienccd inmachines of this character used for covering seams on light weightribbed goods, from the fact that when the feed takes place at a timewhen the threads are not slack, a ridge or cord will be raised betweenthe lines I of needle puncture, which is, of course, oh-

jectionable in a gar-men The ob ect of the present invcntion is toprovide such an arrangement of controllers for the upper thread that thefeed will take place while the needle threads are slack, thus avoidingall strain and the tendency to make a ridge on the goods along the linesof the The invention comprises in a sewing machine having stitch-formingmechanism of substantially the character dcscrihcd] a thread controller,and an intermil-tcntlv acting nipping device for the thread, of apull-off device acting on both the necdlc threads, this pull-o devicebeing preferably composed of two pair s which permit its beinglengthened or shortened to pull off the desired amount of needle thread,there being also provided on a stationary part of the machine frame apull up which acts upon the thread of the needle nearest the point ofinitial movement of the looper, this pull up acting to cause the threadof the needle upon which it acts to be thrown out into the form of aloop, before the loop is formed on the other needle. so that thestitchesmay be taken up at the proper respective times.

ll'ith this general sta temcnt of the features of the invention, it willbe understood that said invention consists in the matters hereinafterdescribed and referred to in the appended claims.

The invention is illustrated in thc accompanying drawings, '71 wh.ich

Figure 1 is a front elevation of so much of a sewing machine of the typereferred to, as is necessary to a complete understanding of theinvention, the parts being shown in the position they occupy while allthe threads are slack and the feed ista-king place Fig. 2

is a similar view, showing the pr ition of the parts when the needleshave reached their lowest limit, and are about to recede to throw outthe loops,-the nipper springs being closed and the pull off having drawnthe thrca d f1 om the spools through the tensions, the pull up alsoacting to make the left hand needle thread substantially taut, so as toallow a loo to be thrown out before the right hand needle loop is thrownout; Fig. 3 is a top plan view, the parts being shown in the samerelative position they occupy l Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is a perspective endvie of the parts illustrating the looper about in position to engage theleft hand needle loop which has been thrown out ahead of the right handneedle loop by the action of the pull-u p. Fig. 5 is a perspective viewof the intermittent nipping device.

- In these drawings, the usual operating parts of the machine are thesame as illus trated in the patent above referred to, and need not bespecifically mentioned, exce t to state that A represel'its the gooseneckfll the needle lover, (I the needle bar arrying the two needles, E,F, G, the looper carrying the looper guard linger ii, I the nippingdevice which is constructed in a manner similar to that shown in anapplication filed by l). \V. Corey, June 14th, 1901, No. 61,291, and K,L, M, are ordinary guiding eyelets for the thread; N, with its eyelet 1"representing the i it) 7 portion of the usual Union Special thread imlhre d s ,and he threads are Slack becontroller connected with andoperated by the presser guide bar. This intermittent .ip'ping device isformed of a metallic plate 70 attached to the gooseneck by set screw 7,and to the upper end of late h are secured two spring plates i, k, he dfrom lateral displacement by step pins Z, and normally separatedat theirlower ends to allow the thread 10 to slip between them. The upper springplate is formed'adjacent its lower end; with a raised is secure theplate it having at its upperend a lug or projection 0, adjustablysecured by set screw 1), and in the downward movement of the needle bar,the projection b will engage the spring plate- 2' and force it intocontact with plate'k, thus gripping the thread.

Upon the needle lever B is arranged the eyelet Q havin two openings forthe passage of the needle threads, and a similar eyelet is arranged uponthe upper end of the needle cportion m. 7 Upon the needle lever bar 0.Upon the upper lug on the head of I the machine is arranged a ull-up Rwhich is arranged to act upon the eft hand needle thread. Between thenipping device and i .the tension upon the goose neck of the ma-' chineis fixed a plate or arm S having two 'eyelets 1, 2, and between thesetwo eyelets 1,-2,

Works a pull-off finger T, upon the end of the arm U adjustably securedto the arm V,

I which at its lowerrend is attached to the nee-- dle lever extension.As the needle lever moves up and'down, therefore, the pull-oil finger Talternately engages and releases the thread passing between the eyelets1 and 2, thus alternately pulling off thread from the spools through thetensions X, Y, and releasing the same.

Assuming thatthe needles have assed their extreme upward position, anhave commenced to move down, the feed has about ceased its forwardmovement, the nipper springs are closed, and the pull-off finger actstodraw thread through the'tensions; When the needles have reached nearthelimit oftheir lower movement, the thread of the left hand needle isbrought over the pull-up and in the further downward movement oi theneedle some strain is put on said threadwhich lasts during a portion ofthe upward movement of the needle, so that when the loop is thrown out acomparatively short one is thrown out, and this takes place before theformed, so that by the time the looper reaches the left hand needle theloop is ready for it, the loops being-thrown out successively instead ofsimultaneously, because of thc action of the pull-up. preferably soadjusted that there is a little slack thread when the needles are attheir lowest point. As the needles move out of the goods, and the feedbegins to take place, the nipper springs release the threads, the

loop on the longer, or right hand needle is- The thread controller istween the tensions, and the goods, so that the feed takes place withoutcausing any strain u on the threads at all, and this prevents t eformation of the objectionable ridge above referred to. By this. machineseams can be "covered on the lightest weight goods with practically notendency to make a ridge or cord up and at the sametime, the appearanceon the under side, of theseam or inside of the garment is not affectedat all, Having thus desdribedmy invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters latent, is

,1. In a sewing machine for covering seams, includingavpluralityof'needles and a cross stitchde'vice cooperating therewith to lock theneedle threads, means for controlling the needle threads including apull-off and de- 1 vices cooperating therewith whereby thread is-pulledoff While the needles are descending and thethread is slack and free"fromstrain, While the feed is taking place thus allowing a free feedfor the material; substantially asdescribe. "'90 2. A sewing machineincluding in cor'nbination a. needle means for" o erating the same, atension evice, a threa nipping device intermediate said tension deviceand the needle and a pull off intermediate said thread nipping deviceand tension device, and means for operating'said pull-off and threadniping device whereby thread is drawn throug said tension while the needleis descending and the needle thread is slack and free from strain'whilethe feed is operatin to feed the material; substantially as descri ed.

' 3 In a sewing machine, including a reciprocating needle, means forcontrolling the thread thereof, comprising suitable eyelets for guidingthe thread, an intermittent nipping device suitable tensions, a pull-offbe- \tween the nipping device and the tension and which acts to pull offthread while the needle is in the goods, and releases the thread whilethe feed is tak ng place, in combination with a pull-up acting u on theneedle thread to take up the slack t ierein while the needle is movingdown, to enable a loop to be quickly formed; substantially as described.

4. In a sewing machine comprising a pluralityof reciprocating needlesmeans for con trolling. the threads thereof, comprising a pull-oilacting to pull -o ff' thread while the needles are in'the-goods andreleasing the same while' the feed is taking place, and a pull-up actingupon one of the nedle'threads to cause it tothrow out it's loop in'a-rlvance of the other substantially as described.

,ln testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presenceof twoWitnesses."

BUSSEL G. VVOODWARD;

Nitnesses:

CHESTER McNEIL, EMMA KERN.

